


enouement

by gryffindormischief



Series: Harry Potter AUs! [34]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gryffindormischief/pseuds/gryffindormischief
Summary: James Potter falls in love twice in his life.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: Harry Potter AUs! [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/817470
Comments: 22
Kudos: 115





	enouement

**Author's Note:**

> All thanks to constancezin on tumblr's amazing art! so glad to do a collaboration. Happy birthday Harry (THE BIRTHDAY HE SHOULD HAVE HAD)

“Lily, I swear I could stare at his little face forever.”

“You won’t be able to stare for another minute if you wake him up,” Lily hisses as she nudges James’ arm, “He might be out of his crib but he’s still the world’s lightest sleeper.”

“Right,” James sighs, his fingers hovering above Harry’s smooth forehead, “But at least if he woke up I’d get to see those eyes. What a sucker I am for those eyes.”

“Sweet talker,” Lily murmurs, affection evident in her voice, “Come on, let’s finish wrapping his gifts, yeah?”

Harry snuffles in his sleep and shifts onto his side while Lily and James slip into the hall. It’s still early enough, just about to be eight in the morning, and today Harry’s three bloody years old. For a good bit, James didn’t think Harry’d live to see six months. And then the prophecy practically demanded he wouldn’t. 

But today, two and a half years since the worst day of James’ young life, the world was full of possibility, dark clouds receded slowly but steadily, and his son could have a true birthday party. Complete with an inordinate number of gifts.

It takes a good three quarters of an hour to wrap it all and James has a knot in his neck that feels the size of a bludger when Lily lifts one final paper bag from behind the sofa. “Last one.”

“Are we spoiling him?”

“I dunno,” Lily sighs and props one foot on James’ lap, “We did tell him no iced lollies on Saturday even when he did that adorable little pout.”

“That really is an adorable pout - he looks like you.”

“Now I know why you can’t tell me no,” Lily says with a wink, “Anyway, Tuney never tells Dudley no. So Harry’s at least less spoilt than that.”

James snorts and drops his head back against the sofa. “I should bloody well hope so. Imagine if Dudders ends up with a little brother or sister, we might have to steal them away in the middle of the night.”

The clock on the fireplace - an heirloom from Fleamont’s side - ticks away the seconds before Lily’s response, “You do like facilitating a dramatic run away.”

“Maybe Arthur would lend me his flying car.”

Before the laughter can really warm Lily’s belly, Harry’s small voice calls from his bedroom and they lock eyes and end up racing like schoolchildren down the hall. The door is thrown open under their combined force and slams against the wall so they’re treated to a full view of Harry’s grinning face over the low edge of his toddler bed. 

Lily managed to scoop him up first but given how James’ arms immediately wrap around them both, it seems he’s not mourning Lily’s small victory.

Harry’s cheeks are rosy with laughter by the time they shuffle as a silly three part unit out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Once Harry’s secured in his booster chair and Lily’s moved the wrapped gifts to join the colorful balloons and confetti that decorate the sideboard, James has already has butter sizzling away in a pan. 

He turns to grin at Harry, “So you want broccoli for birthday breakfast right?”

Immediately Harry throws his head back - the spitting image of his father in laughter - and shouts, “No!”

Lily can’t help but run her fingers over the top of his wild hair, “How about mashed peas?”

Harry’s giggles renew as he pumps his legs, and finally James after some serious thought taps his chin and asks, “French toast?”

Bouncing a little now, Harry cheers and Lily makes her way to the fridge to pull out two large covered bowls, “How lucky we already have strawberries and whipped cream ready!”

While Harry basks in his excitement, James drops the first slice into the pan and presses a kiss to Lily’s forehead. “Love you.”

Lily kisses his chin and sets the bowls down on the counter for stage two of breakfast prep. 

Soon enough - with James’ ‘swish and flick’ being put to use with a spatula rather than a wand - their celebratory meal is laid out and Harry has whipped cream on his nose like a funny little Rudolph in July.

Lily gets in a few good rounds of ‘guess how old Harry is today’ before he finally shouts “Three!” with the added dash of ‘f” sounds that his mismatched teeth facilitate.

Once they’ve eaten every sliver of strawberry, every spoonful of whipped cream, and every last slice of french toast, James lifts his wand for the first time that morning and sends the dishes to the already hovering sponge to scrub them down. While Harry enjoys the rising suds in the sink, Lily moves his gifts to the table and when he turns back to find the boxes and bags waiting, Harry claps his chubby hands excitedly. 

For all their discussion of potentially spoiling Harry, he’s probably more well behaved opening gifts than Sirius was on his birthday in November, carefully dropping the paper to the side of his seat as he opens each package one by one. 

The second to last gift is the one from “the boys” - it’s got little stuffed versions of their ‘other’ forms all attached to a mobile. But the best bit is they can each detach for playing and cuddling and whatnot. Remus specifically tested them out for optimum snuggle quality after the last full moon and nearly wouldn't give it back up. 

Once he was fully recovered from his ‘time of the month’, he bashfully returned the foursome, cleaned of any biscuit crumbs but still smelling faintly of chamomile. 

When Harry opens the box, his eyes light up excitedly as he stumbles through naming each one followed by individualized hugs that make James coo like a dove and Lily whip out her camera to snap photos. 

Quickly, he tires of fumbling with the mobile and looks to James helplessly to get the animals released. Once they’re gathered around like an adoring fanclub - not unlike their real life counterparts - Harry reaches for the final gift. 

Thin sheets of red and gold colored paper fall away under his hands until he’s left with only the shiny bag emblazoned Quality Quidditch Supplies on the side. James is still clueless as to the contents but he’s hoping Lily’s finally gotten on board with training Harry early to be the youngest seeker in Hogwarts history. 

So he’s a bit confused when Harry lifts a stuffed zebra wrapped in tiny quidditch robes from the depths of the giftbag and exclaims, “Zin!”

Lily’s still snapping away with her camera - they’ll have material for a flip book of Harry’s birthday - while Harry sends ‘Prongs’ toppling to the floor while ‘Zin’ flies about on an invisible broom. Because apparently he’s the ‘best quidditch player ever.’

Never mind that he doesn’t even have hands and his legs could hardly grip a broom in the first place. Do zebras even have knees?

“Why do you look like I told you I’m leaving you for Gilderoy Lockhart?” Lily murmurs, changing to a fresh roll of film.

“Don’t even joke,” James grumbles, though Harry’s excited giggles soon draw a smile onto his lips, “Who the f-fudge is Zin?”

“A magical quidditch playing zebra,” Lily answers easily.

Before James can gather more info on who exactly this invader stealing his son’s affections is, the front door slams open with a thud. “The party is here, Potters.”

James is somewhat gratified that the boys’ arrival is enough to draw Harry’s attention from Zin, and soon enough there’s more gifts, too much cake, and laughter to fill the entire little cottage to the rafters. So though it stings that Zin seems to linger at Harry’s side through it all, James is still the happiest he can remember. When he was ten and got the newest Clean Sweep and a mini quidditch pitch in the yard - that felt like it would be his happiest birthday, happiest day period. But every day his little family is happy, whole, and healthy feels better than the last. 

Even with his new fluffy enemy.

He’ll take a fluffy enemy Harry might like more than Prongs over - over what they had before any day. 

The sun’s beyond set, family photos have been taken in excess, and they’ve set up a little fire in the yard to roast marshmallows when James notices Harry’s gone quite quiet. Too quiet. 

Immediately, he flies into a panic, imagining the worst, but soon enough finds Harry curled up like he’s a cat on the couch cushions. His slow breaths lift his back up and down, one foot now sans sock, and his little arm is wrapped snugly around - Prongs.

James sniffs, because he doesn’t have a heart of stone, “Well then.”

“He thinks you hung the moon, James,” Lily says from the doorway.

“Someday he’s going to realize his dad is a tosser.”

“I’d say was a tosser,” Lily corrects, “Past tense.”

“You’re just saying that because you love me.”

Lily wraps her arms around his waist from behind, “Would I love a tosser?”

James tips his head to touch hers, “I s’pose not.”

“Well then.”

“I really could stare at his face forever.”


End file.
